Turning of the tide in acting and directing masterclass. Dowdy spinster Catherine Sloper is stuck in a rut, she is often made to feel useless by her almost tyrannical father, and her life is ambling along in uneventful boredom. Potential gentlema...

There are three really strong performances here, but for my money it is Sir Ralph Richardson who stands out. "Sloper" is a wealthy surgeon, a widower and father to the naive young "Catherine". She (Olivia de Havilland) is shy and usually quite happy...